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The Drive Home

On the drive home from the overnight investigation at Belvoir Winery, I was tired, but on a high from having such a cool experience and meeting some really cool people! I already had blog posts planned out in my head. I knew I had some amazing footage on NightShot video, including the one and only Britt Griffith using and demonstrating the use of my spirit box, and hours of very fascinating possible spirit communication with flashlights in two different locations.

Amy Bruni, Britt Griffith, and Adam Berry having a good time with guests at Belvoir Winery.

Freaking Elvis Moment…

But what was I MOST excited about capturing? There was a brief period of time where the adorable and amazing duo, Amy Bruni and Adam Berry, joined my group for part of the investigation. Since I happened to be filming, and since they were standing right next to me, I took that opportunity to turn to capture both of their faces in MY VERY OWN NIGHTSHOT! Who gets the opportunity to do that? This was all happening as we were listening to my spirit box in the corner. As I quietly mentioned to them how big of a moment this was, they both hammed it up with a pose and a smile, just for me! Gold, right?! Freaking Elvis moment! And I KNEW that the screen shot was going to be featured right here on the blog.

NOT the screen shot.

Well… clearly that screen shot is missing. And clearly I’ve misled you to believe that this post would include amazing evidence. But just wait. The story, though very mysterious, continues.

Beeeeep. Beeeeeep. Error C:31:22…

Not long after my return home, I hooked up one of my two remaining NightShot camcorders to the computer, ready to upload all of the footage from the three tapes that I used during the investigation. Suddenly, the all too familiar beeping and error code began to show up, which sometimes leads to the tape getting stuck in the camcorder. I didn’t panic. Anyone familiar with these camcorders knows this exact frustrating error. Once I got the tape out, I knew that since I had another camcorder, I’d surely have no problems.

The same thing happened with the other camcorder. I tried one of the other tapes. Same problem. Another tape in the camcorder. Same problem. I couldn’t even play or rewind the tapes. An hour and lots of frustration and google searches later, I gave up and went to bed.

There’s Hope!

Just Kidding…

To make a long story not as long, Robert tried everything he could. What was on the tapes? Snow. Snow with a counter that would track the time to the very end of the tapes. Robert informed me that new tapes that have not been recorded on simply don’t play, and there wouldn’t be a counter, therefore clearly something had been recorded onto each tape. You should know that as I recorded that evening, I used the pull out LCD screen that allows you to see what you’re filming. In fact, since much of our investigation was in the dark, that’s how I found my way. When you’re recording, it makes it clear with a red dot on the screen. I saw it each time. The next thing you should know is that I reuse my tapes. Two of the tapes were not taken to the very end, therefore most likely, Robert should have found various leftover footage from past investigations at the end of those tapes. This was not the case.

Oh please. Like that’ll happen.

Most of us have always heard that you should keep magnets away from things like tapes, hard drives, credit cards, etc. This apparently also includes strong electric currents, or any kind of electromagnetic field. Even though this is common knowledge for many people, I don’t think anyone really ever expects it to happen to them. You should always be careful around storms and lighting, but no one ever expects to be struck by it. Could some kind of strong source of electricity or exposure to a magnet have erased my tapes? And if so, is it common for them to have been erased so perfectly? Other than a few small gadgets, batteries, flashlights, and more tapes, I didn’t have anything in my bag that would have caused this. I can’t even think of anything that I would have been around that night that would have fit this description.

Ghosts can do that?

Now I know what some of you are thinking… and I’ve thought about it as well. Is Belvoir Winery truly so active that the spirits used or manipulated so much energy for communication that it erased all of my video tapes? Did they? Or… is there some sort of conspiracy? Perhaps someone involved in the planning of the event doesn’t wish for there to be video footage leaked to the public? Did Amy and Adam decide to break out the tape-erasing magnet because it wasn’t a great hair day? (Ohhh that would make me cry.) Did my equipment bag get bathed by some kind of magnetic shower while I wasn’t looking?

The Place Holder

I truly am boggled by all of this. I don’t even know what to think. I told Robert to save the tapes for me, just in case aliens drop by with the abducted footage one of these days, or maybe in the future we’ll have space-age technology that will unerase tapes.

…until then, I’ll include this place holder to represent the NightShot screen shot of Amy and Adam.

Screen shot of Amy and Adam during the investigation of Belvoir Winery.

A few nights ago, I had a dream that Amy and Adam stopped by and staged another moment with a working camera, just for me. Ha! (Ahem…. Are you reading this Amy and Adam?)

I can’t lie. I’m super bummed, but maybe the absence of evidence is evidence itself? What are your thoughts?

P.S. Though I did not run audio for every part of the investigation, I do have audio for much of it… and it exists in digital format and was not erased. Stay tuned.

Today I bring you the next installment of my Belvoir Winery/Odd Fellows Home series. See the end of this post for links to previous posts in the series.

T.A.P.S. Para-Celebs: Amy Bruni, Adam Berry, and Britt Griffith!

Probably the biggest highlight of this weekend event was getting to hang out with and meet Amy, Adam, and Britt from SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. I can’t even pretend to not be a super fan of this show from the very first season. Ghost Hunters inspired me to start reading and researching the paranormal, which then led me to forming Missouri Spirit Seekers in 2010. Other paranormal investigators will often say that Ghost Hunters had nothing to do with them being in the field, and that may be true for a small handful of teams or investigators, but if they got rolling after October of 2004 (and most of them did), then um… they’re just lying. In my opinion, this show is one of the biggest reasons for what I’ve always called “The Great Paranormal Craze”, which has now lasted a decade. So whether or not you watch the show, if you’re a fan of the paranormal (and I’m assuming you are since you’re reading this nerdly blog), you’ve been affected by what this show started. On a side note, does paranormal reality TV have its flaws? Absolutely! However, I’m giving credit where it’s due. Oh, and am I a bit bummed that Jay and Grant weren’t there? Sure. But these three “new guys” have added so much to the show in recent years. (For more of my thoughts on the show, check outI Still Watch Ghost Hunters… So What?)

Amy is such a sweet and beautiful person. She clearly has never taken a bad photo in her life. She was so very patient and willing to chat or pose for photos at any moment. Of the three attending T.A.P.S. members, she has been on the show the longest. I could listen to her speak of her experiences all day long, and she’s definitely not afraid to be honest or share her opinion on the paranormal. Now she gets a lot of questions and oohs and ahhs about her beautiful baby daughter, Charlotte. If you follow her onFacebookor Twitter (@amybruni), it’s clear that her daughter has completely changed her life, and she shares photos often.

Adam was just as you would expect him to be. He’s a ham and a goofball, and I’m down with that. Fans at these events always ask him to sing, and he does… beautifully. Adam was seated behind me at dinner. I asked for a selfie with him, however, it was clear that I wasn’t really up on how to properly take a selfie on my iPhone, so he said “Oh I’m a pro at this” and he took my phone and snapped the picture. By the way, if it weren’t for Adam and Amy being in these selfies, they would never see the light of day. Adam can be found on Facebook and Twitter (@AdamJBerry) as well.

Britt Griffith used my spirit box!!!

I didn’t bug Britt for a selfie, but in a future post, you’ll hear about how he used my spirit box during the overnight investigation! In that moment I may or may not have reacted as if I had just met Elvis. I’ll also share some of my thoughts from his paranormal technology session, that was actually very good. More on all of this later…

And, of course, who doesn’t love Chip Coffey?!

Truthfully, a big reason I went to Belvoir Winery for this event was because I had heard that Chip Coffey was going to be attending. I had met him last year at one of his Coffey Talk events, and it was such a cool experience. Chip is so down to earth and funny… and he tells it like it is… and his colorful vocabulary is so similar to mine! For more on that meeting, and my photo with Chip, visit10 important reasons to go see Chip Coffey at a Coffey Talk near you!As I was waiting out in the hall for his big session, Adam Blai’s demonology session was going on inside the ball room. Chip walked in and gave me a hug, used a term of endearment that I don’t remember, and asked how I was doing. I told him that I was looking forward to hearing him talk today. He joined Amy and Adam and others at a nearby table while we waited, and I immediately tweeted the following tweet:

Seconds after tweeting this, Chip pulled out his phone, saw it, and without hesitation, turned to me and said “So are you!” (Again… Elvis moment.) Moments later, the demonology session was wrapping up, and Chip jokingly said (to us in the hall), “And speaking of demons, next up is Chip Coffey!” I laughed. Ohhhh Chip.

This is a shot I took of Chip from what I called “The Creeper Line”. When I asked Adam Berry if that was an accurate description of this line, he laughed and agreed that it kind of was.

To Be Continued…

In my next couple of posts, look forward to hearing about the overnight investigation of the Belvoir Winery grounds, including some awesome flashlight communication, and something so bizarre and mysterious regarding my video footage! Also, more on Britt’s paranormal technology session, and perhaps some audio clips.

As I was preparing to leave for the Belvoir Winery T.A.P.S. event last weekend, I was a bit anxious, mainly because I was going alone and without any members of my team or family. I’m not hugely social in public situations, particularly if I don’t know anyone. What kind of people would be there? Experienced paranormal investigators? Wannabe investigators? Syfy fans? Giant nerds? How much equipment do I bring for the overnight investigation? Will I be embarrassed by pulling out some of this equipment? Well this paranormal event had the usual “characters” (You know what I’m talking about, right?), but for the most part what I found were people who were there just to have fun… and, of course, many of them were excited to meet the para-celebs, just as I was. I arrived on that first day pretty early. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got there, and I wanted to be able to take plenty of photos. The first person that I began a conversation with was a friendly woman named Laurie. We talked quite a bit while she waited for her friends to arrive. It turns out we had a bit in common. Then later I met Andi. She had come to the previous T.A.P.S. event last fall and so I asked her quite a few questions. She and I both had a camera around our necks and later found each other roaming the grounds for great shots.

The Laurie Group!

As I was touring the grounds, I met another friendly face who made me feel right at home. Her name was Jaime, and she later introduced me to her whole crew, including Ian, Jeanette, Sharon, Karen, and Kim (and other names that I’m unfortunately forgetting). She invited me to sit with their gang later in the day for dinner. I did just that. Out of a few hundred people at this event, Sharon pulled some magic and was able to get our table called for dinner first! It was catered by Hy-Vee and was wonderful (and the twice baked potatoes were to die for). While gabbing with these new friends in the buffet line, I broke the salad tongs with my amazing strength. It was in this buffet line that I learned we had a cool little connection. Most of these folks were either from or lived in Laurie, Missouri, a tiny town around the Lake of the Ozarks–the same town where my parents recently purchased a lake lot. I even blogged about the mysterious Cup Tree in Laurie just last year. How cool is that?! We had a lot of laughs and I enjoyed their company! It was like fate brought us together–paranerds for an evening.

The next evening they divided us up into groups for the investigation. Fortunately, Sharon and Kim were in my group. I’ll save those experiences for another post.

More to Come

By the way, if any of you recall me freaking out recently on theBig Séance Facebook page, all is not lost. My aging Sony NightShot camcorders managed to make it through the Belvoir investigation, including moments with Amy Bruni, Adam Berry, and Britt Griffith (Britt even used my spirit box!!!). However, I was bummed and angry when both of these camcorders died in the same evening, leaving all of those wonderful moments stuck on the tapes. Fortunately, a friend of mine converts tapes to DVD (tape2dvd.org,facebook.com/stpeterstape2dvd) and so I look forward to being able to show you some cool footage soon!Also, I plan on sharing some of my thoughts and notes from Britt’s paranormal technology lecture.